"Abolitionist John Brown leads a small group on a raid against a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), in an attempt to start an armed revolt of enslaved people and destroy the institution of slavery."
This incident is in every American history textbook. STOP My students knew that if they wrote a sentence like that, I would underline it and write something like: "Have you looked at every American history textbook?
So, of course I had to see what I could find to answer that question. I suspect one would have to sample as many US history books as one could gather and read through them. (I did something like that in an article about the lack of Native American Law in public administration textbooks.) In answer to that question I did find some related sites. One is by a history teacher writing about how to use Harper's Ferry as a lesson. He writes:
"What the Textbooks Say
Brown’s raid often appears in the narrative of the Civil War as the point of no return—the moment in which the country’s deep divide between free and slave interests polarized with the injection of violence. Textbooks tend to describe the responses to Brown’s raid and trial in binary terms, with Northerners and Southerners displaying unified, and starkly opposite, reactions."
That doesn't answer the question, but does let us know it's a topic in many history textbooks both in the North and the South.
Magazine of History looks at John Brown as an chance to teach history, not through the memorization of names and dates, but as an opportunity to explore difficult and ever present moral tensions.
Although the institution of slavery was purged in the crucible of the American Civil War, John Brown's determination to expose and end chattel slavery still resonates. The multiple legacies of slavery and questions about the efficacy of violence as a tool for change in a democratic society continually bring historians and teachers back to the complicated life of John Brown. When students consider Brown's contributions to the American narrative, lines between advocacy and criminality, contrasts between intensity and obsession, and differences between democratic ideals and harsh reality are brought to the surface. To this day, artists, authors, historians, political activists, and creators of popular culture maintain a fascination with the antebellum rights-warrior and his death.
Wow. I was planning an array of short comments in this post, and already I've gotten carried away on this first one. But as I think about those who plundered the Capitol Wednesday, I have to think about Harper's Ferry and the fact that this nation is still divided over the same questions that led to Harper's Ferry. While slavery has been abolished (but not completely eliminated if we consider things like sex trafficking and even prison labor, and some might suggest people who have no choice but to take minimum wage jobs), the belief that some people are inherently superior to other people based on skin color or ethnicity or religion is still capable of stirring people to violent attempts to overthrow the rule of law. Just as the belief that everyone deserves to be treated by police with the same respect and the same level of force based on the real inherent danger to the police and the public got people out into the streets all summer.
When John Brown took up arms, slavery was still legal in the United States. His cause was to overturn those laws. As much as I want to believe that slavery is inherently evil and that racism is evil, there are tens of millions of people who either disagree or think these issues are subordinate to other values they hold.
2. Both Energized And Drained by Zoom
Thursday I was in front of my screen from 3-3:30 watching Bridgman/Packer's presentation to APAP.
"The Association of Performing Arts Professionals is the national service, advocacy and membership organization for the live performing arts field. APAP is dedicated to developing and supporting a robust performing arts presenting, booking and touring industry and the professionals who work within it."
My understanding is that every year they have artists - in this case dancers - perform for people who book acts to various venues around the country. This year it was done virtually and Bridgman/Packer invited us to sit in. Bridgman/Packer is a dance duo that totally dazzled me when I first saw them perform in Anchorage. We've sent a modest check each year to support their work - it's criminal how geniuses in the arts have to scrape by. Here's the blog post I wrote when we first saw them. I was trying not to give anything away. But the magic of what they do is combining live dancing with prerecorded dancing, use of screens and shadows. It sounds odd, but it's amazing. In the showcase they talked about and showed video of their work. They've been using abandoned factories in upstate New York as filmed backdrops. They also do dances inside a large truck. And they had one set that was filmed by a drone.
Then I had back to back political fundraisers - we have a mayoral race in Anchorage in April - to attend. And finally I tried to watch the Humanity Forum's annual awards to see Rachel Epstein get her award. She ran the UAA bookstore speaker program for years and years - a real treat for many of us.
3. Turkish and Spanish
I've been doing 20-30 minutes a day of Spanish on Duolingo for over a year now. It helps my vocabulary and grammar, and my listening, but not my speaking. But I figure it keeps my brain active. A couple of months ago I decided to add Turkish. A month or two in Istanbul is something I've been wanting to do. I skipped Istanbul in 1965 when I was hitching from Germany to Greece and back - promising to get there one day. So we've watched a few Turkish movies on Netflix, and the one at the Anchorage International Film Festival. Turkish definitely offers insights in grammar that I'd never considered. Lots of things - like plurals and possessives - are done with suffixes. Well, we add an 's' to make plurals, or 'ies' so I'm sure we're as bizarre to speakers of other languages. Also, adjusting my brain and fingers to a Turkish keyboard is tricky too.
4. Prodding Dan
I sent my junior Senator another email. I figure his original Koch backers have their own agenda for him in the US Senate so he's more loyal to that than to protecting Democracy. But I figure I can keep reminding him I'm here and I want him to prove he's really a Marine. And maybe the staffers who read the emails are more susceptible to reason.
Virgin Airlines was bought by Alaska Airlines. Virgin had created a safety instruction video that played before all their flights with an elaborate routine of dancing flight attendants (see video at end of post). And apparently there are vestiges of Virgin still left in the combined airlines.
I still can wait to get on an airplane until after I've been vaccinated.
For those who never had the chance to fly on Virgin, below is one of their safety videos. Well worth watching to see how to take a boring routine and make it entertainment.
"Singer Zikode said she is thrilled to see so many people around the world dancing to the song.
“When I saw the president [Cyril Ramaphosa] announcing that everyone should celebrate today’s Heritage Day by dancing to ‘Jerusalema,’ I quickly jumped up, raised my hands and shouted!” Zikode said in Zulu.
“I was so happy,” she said. 'God has lifted me up because of the success of this song, and everyone is dancing to my voice.'”
Just take a break and enjoy the music and enthusiasm. Better yet, get up and join.
Below is a video with the composer talking about how amazed he is that this song has taken off like this.
Sorry about the ads on these, but when you get something going this viral, YouTube encourages you too monetize.
The cemetery is a major destination in Buenos Aires, but while we had passed it, we hadn’t had time to go in. An added bonus of going yesterday was the Recoleta weekend outdoor market around it on Saturday. Here are a few pictures to give a sense of it. Basically it was decorative arts - lots of jewelry, leather work, clothing, paintings, and other odds and ends.
There was even a bit of tango in front of the entrance to the cemetery. The paintings weren’t my style. A lot of pictures of Argentine themes and then stuff like this.
Mate (pronounced MA-te) is an Argentine tea. You stick a lot of leaves into the cup and keep refilling it with hot water and drink the tea through a metal straw. This man is selling mate. Cups and straws.
“Drinking mate is highly ritualised, its conventions and procedures are fixed and never broken. Gringos stirring the tea with the bombilla will, for example, be met with Argentineans diving to recover the mate. It is just one faux pas among many”. [From The Real Argentina ]
This woman below had beautiful painted boxes and other small items.
I couldn’t figure out how to take a good picture of all the booths that make up the market. So this picture is here just to give you a vague sense. In parts there are booths on both sides. This was when we first got there and more vendors kept showing up.
There seem to be fewer notable people born in 1919. World War I had ended in November1918. There had been a big influenza epidemic in 1918 as well. Births dropped significantly in 1919.
Someone born in 1919 would be ten when the stock market crashed, spend their adolescence during the depression, and start their twenties as WW II broke out. Maybe that explains why there are fewer notables compared to other years.
I've only picked out a few folks born in 1919. What has struck me since I first started doing "famous people born" posts, is thinking about a group of people who would have been in the same school year had they all lived in the same neighborhood. So try to imagine these people being classmates together at some school. Did any of these people know each other? Ever meet?
I've put them in order of when they were born in 1919 from the oldest (at least at birth) to the youngest. It's also sobering to see how some lived much shorter lives than others.
"American writer known for his widely read novel, The Catcher in the Rye. Following his early success publishing short stories and The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger led a very private life for more than a half-century. He published his final original work in 1965 and gave his last interview in 1980."
"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them. They’re quitee touchy about anything like that, especially my father. They’re nice and all - I’m not saying that - but they’re also touchy as hell. Besides, I’m not going to tell you my whole goodam autobiography or anything. I’ll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out and take it easy. I mean that’s all I told D.B. about, and he’s my brother and all. He’s in Hollywood. That isn’t too far from this crumby place, and he comes over and visits me practically every week end. He’s going to drive me home when I go home next month maybe. He just got a Jaguar. One of those little English jobs that can do around two hundred miles an hour. It cost him damn near four thousand bucks. He’s got a lot of dough, now. He didn’t use to. He used to be just a regular writer, when he was home. He wrote this terrific book of short stories, The Secret Goldfish, in case you never heard of him. The best one in it was «‘The Secret Goldfish.’ It was about this little kid that wouldn’t let anybody look at his goldfish because he’d bought it with his own money. It killed me. Now he’s out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s the movies. Don’t even mention them to me."
"The first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era.[2] Robinson broke the baseball color line when the Brooklyn Dodgers started him at first base on April 15, 1947. When the Dodgers signed Robinson, they heralded the end of racial segregation in professional baseball that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s.[3] Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.[4]"
"Born in Budapest, Eva aspired to acting from the age of 4. She began studying at 15, but her parents thought acting was too vulgar a profession and forced her to withdraw. Two years later, the 5-foot-2-inch beauty met a Swedish-born Hollywood physician at a party. They married in 1939 and moved to California. , ,
Described as the most down-to-earth of the Gabor sisters, Eva nevertheless had a lot in common with her many-times-married siblings, Zsa Zsa and Magda. Eva, who married and divorced at least four times, was said to have coined the phrase, "Marriage is too interesting an experiment to be tried only once or twice."
They were all entertainers. And they all possessed the unmistakably breezy Gabor style. When introduced to President Lyndon B. Johnson, Eva Gabor greeted him in her trademark Hungarian accent: 'Hello, Mr. President, darling.'"
" For a mild-mannered man whose music was always easy on the ear, Nat King Cole managed to be a figure of considerable controversy during his 30 years as a professional musician. From the late '40s to the mid-'60s, he was a massively successful pop singer who ranked with such contemporaries as Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, and Dean Martin. He shared with those peers a career that encompassed hit records, international touring, radio and television shows, and appearances in films. But unlike them, he had not emerged from a background as a band singer in the swing era. Instead, he had spent a decade as a celebrated jazz pianist, leading his own small group."
"Madalyn Murray O'Hair (née Mays; )[1] was an American activist supporting atheism and separation of church and state. In 1963 she founded American Atheists and served as its president to 1986, after which her son Jon Garth Murray succeeded her. She created the first issues of American Atheist Magazine.
O'Hair is best known for the Murray v. Curlett lawsuit, which challenged the policy of mandatory prayers and Bible reading in Baltimore public schools, in which she named her first son William J. Murray as plaintiff. Consolidated with Abington School District v. Schempp (1963), it was heard by the United States Supreme Court, which ruled that official Bible-reading in American public schools was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court had prohibited officially sponsored prayer in schools in Engel v. Vitale (1962) on similar grounds. Through American Atheists, O'Hair filed numerous other suits on issues of separation of church and state."
Pete Seeger May 3, 1919 - January 27, 2014 (94)
In 1938, he settled in New York City and eventually met Alan Lomax, Woody Guthrie, Aunt Molly Jackson, Lead Belly, and others. The quality of music coming from this group immediately captured his attention. He assisted Alan Lomax at the Library of Congress’ Archive of Folk Song and was exposed to a wonderful array of traditional American music. Many in this group of musicians eventually formed the Almanac Singers in 1940. In addition to Pete, the group included Lee Hays, Woody Guthrie, Bess Lomax, Sis Cunningham, Mill Lampell, Arthur Stern, and others. They lived in a communal home, “The Almanac House,” in New York. The group performed for gatherings, picket lines, and any place where they could lend their voices in support of the social causes they believed in. Later, after World War II, many of the same people became involved in the musical organizations People’s Songs and People’s Artists.
His best-known songs include "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" (with Joe Hickerson), "If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)" (with Lee Hays of the Weavers), and "Turn! Turn! Turn!"
Liberace May 16, 1919 - February 4, 1987 ( 67)
American pianist, singer and actor.[2] A child prodigy and the son of Polish and Italian immigrants, Liberace enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordings, television, motion pictures, and endorsements. At the height of his fame, from the 1950s to the 1970s, Liberace was the highest-paid entertainer in the world,[3] with established concert residencies in Las Vegas, and an international touring schedule. Liberace embraced a lifestyle of flamboyant excess both on and off stage, acquiring the nickname "Mr. Showmanship".
Dame Margot Fonteyn, DBE (18 May 1919 – 21 February 1991), stage name of Margaret Evelyn de Arias, was an English ballerina. She spent her entire career as a dancer with the Royal Ballet (formerly the Sadler's Wells Theater Company), eventually being appointed prima ballerina assoluta of the company by Queen Elizabeth II. Beginning ballet lessons at the age of four, she studied in England and China, where her father was transferred for his work. Her training in Shanghai was with George Goncharov, contributing to her continuing interest in Russian ballet. Returning to London at the age of 14, she was invited to join the Vic-Wells Ballet School by Ninette de Valois. She succeeded Alicia Markova as prima ballerina of the company in 1935. The Vic-Wells choreographer, Sir Frederick Ashton, wrote numerous parts for Fonteyn and her partner, Robert Helpmann, with whom she danced from the 1930s to the 1940s.
Best-known internationally as the first man to climb Mt. Everest in May 1953 with Tenzing Norgay, for the last 50 years he has devoted himself to environmental and humanitarian efforts that have made a profound difference to communities in Nepal where his famous summiting was achieved.
American politician and the 45th Governor of Alabama, a position he occupied for four terms, during which he promoted "low-grade industrial development, low taxes, and trade schools".[1] He sought the United States presidency as a Democrat three times, and once as an American Independent Party candidate, unsuccessfully each time. He is best remembered for his staunch segregationist and populist views.[2][3][4] Wallace famously opposed desegregation and supported the policies of "Jim Crow" during the Civil Rights Movement, declaring in his 1963 Inaugural Address that he stood for "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever".[5]
I'm offering this video, because I was at this talk. (The actual date is January 10,1964) I came early to be sure to get a seat. The first several rows were already filled with black students. Wallace was known as the racist governor of Alabama who opposed integration. UCLA was a relatively liberal California college. It was going to be tense. But Wallace used charm and humor to win over the audience quickly - even the front few rows. We didn't agree with him, but laughter created a human connection. It was an important lesson for me about preconceptions, my notions about evil people, and how people who violently disagree on fundamental issues, nevertheless can communicate. It also helped me understand why Alabamans voted for him. I absolutely do not endorse most of the comments under this video on Youtube.
He slid down banisters, dated movie stars and wore a red rose in his lapel. Pierre Elliott Trudeau is arguably the most charismatic prime minister in Canada's history. But he was more than just charisma - Trudeau helped shape Canada with his vision of a unified, bilingual, multicultural "just society." Throughout his 16 years as prime minister, he faced some heavy criticism. But when Trudeau died on Sept. 28, 2000, the nation mourned the man who, in the words of one biographer, "haunts us still."
He was also the father of Canada's current prime minister.
Doris Lessing's body of work comprises around 50 books and spans several genres. Her writing is characterized by penetrating studies of living conditions in the 20th century, behavioral patterns, and historical developments. Her most experimental novel, 'The Golden Notebook', from 1962, is a study of a woman's psyche and life situation, the lot of writers, sexuality, political ideas, and everyday life. Some of Doris Lessing's books reach into the future. Among other things, she portrays our civilization's final hour from the perspective of an extraterrestrial observer.
"Anna meets her friend Molly in the summer of 1957 after a separation
THE two women were alone in the London flat. 'The point is,' said Anna, as her friend came back from the telephone on the landing, 'the point is, that as far as I can see, everything's cracking up.'
Molly was a woman much on the telephone. When it rang she had just enquired: 'Well, what's the gossip?' Now she said, 'That's Richard, and he's coming over. It seems today's his only free moment for the next month. Or so he insists.'
'Well I'm not leaving,' said Anna.
'No, you stay just where you are.'
Molly considered her own appearance-she was wearing trousers and a sweater, both the worse for wear. 'He'll have to take me as I come,' she concluded, and sat down by the window. 'He wouldn't say what it's about-another crisis with Marion, I suppose.'
'Didn't he write to you?' asked Anna, cautious.
'Both he and Marion wrote-ever such bonhomous letters. Odd, isn't it?'
This odd, isn't it? was the characteristic note of the intimate conversations they designated gossip. But having struck the note, Molly swerved off with: 'It's no use talking now, because he's coming right over, he says.'
'He'll probably go when he sees me here,' said Anna, cheerfully, but slightly aggressive. Molly glanced at her, keenly, and said: 'Oh, but why?'
It had always been understood that Anna and Richard disliked each other; and before Anna had always left when Richard was expected. Now Molly said: 'Actually I think he rather likes you, in his heart of hearts. The point is, he's committed to liking me, on principle-he's such a fool he's always got to either like or dislike someone, so all the dislike he won't admit he has for me gets pushed off on to you.'"
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (1919-80), king of Iran (1941-1979), was born in Tehran on October 26, 1919, the eldest son of Reza Shah. He completed his primary school in Switzerland. He returned to Iran in 1935, and enrolled in a Tehran military school, from which he graduated in 1938.. . .
He replaced his father, Reza Shah, on the throne on September 16, 1941, shortly before his 22nd birthday. He continued the reform policies of his father, but a contest for control of the government soon erupted between the shah and an older professional politician, the nationalistic Mohammad Mosaddeq. . .
By the mid-1970s the Shah reigned amidst widespread discontent caused by the continuing repressiveness of his regime, socioeconomic changes that benefited some classes at the expense of others, and the increasing gap between the ruling elite and the disaffected populace. Islamic leaders, particularly the exiled cleric Ayatollah Khomeini, were able to focus this discontent with a populist ideology tied to Islamic principles and calls for the overthrow of the shah. The Shah's government collapsed following widespread uprisings in 1978 -1979 and consequently an Islamic Republic succeeded his regime.
Russian soldier, best known as AK-47 inventor. a Russian general, inventor, military engineer and small arms designer. He is most famous for developing the AK-47 assault rifle and its improvements, the AKM and AK-74, as well as the PK machine gun and RPK light machine gun.
Shorts are fiction 10 - 55 minutes. In competition means they were selected to be eligible for a festival award. Super Shorts are under 10 minutes.
Shorts are generally shown in groups, called programs. The shorts in competition this year fall neatly into two programs. The first is "Shorts on the Edge" but it's also called "Opening Night Soirée."
The second program is called "Love and Pain." I've color coded them to make it even easier.
BUT, I've combined the shorts and super shorts on the chart below, since they are showing together in the programs. The super shorts have an * after them.
To make it easy for you to figure out when and where to see these films, I've divided the list of shorts in competition into two groups so you can see what program they're in, and when and where each program is shown.
[NOTE: I try to be completely accurate here, but there's a lot of details and I can make a mistake. To be safe, double check the times and locations before you go. If you see an error please let me know in the comments or via email - in right column above blog archive.]
The first program is:
Opening Night Soiree
Fri Dec 1 Bear Tooth 7 pm
Shorts on the Edge
Sat Dec 9 AK Exp Sm 9 pm
Shorts In Competition
Director
Country
Length
Cold Storage*
Thomas Freundlich
Finland
9 min
Game
Jeannie Donohoe
USA
15 min
Whoever Was Using This Bed
Andrew Kotatko
Australia
20 min
Iron
Gabriel Gonda
USA
17 min
Must Kill Karl
Joe Kick
Canada
12 min
The Robbery
Jim Cummings
USA
15 min
8:AM*
Emily Pando
USA
5 min
Brain Storm*
Christophe Clin
Belgium
6 min
Couples Night*
Russell & Robert
Summers
USA
4 min
Temporary
Milena Govich
USA
12 min
Remember, the blue ones are in the program called:
Love and Pain
Which shows:
Sat Dec 2 AK Exp Large 12 pm
Fri Dec 8 AK Exp Small 7pm
* means it's a Super Short.
###############################################
This first group of shorts in competition all are part of the Opening Night Soirée which repeats as the program "Shorts on the Edge." I've done it this way to help you identify which films are shown together so you can easily find when and where to see them. If they are in red, they are together in this program. Also, both Shorts and Super Shorts* are together in the same programs, but they are eligible for separate awards. The * marks the Super Shorts. These are films under 10 minutes long.
Opening Night Soirée
Fri Dec 1 Bear Tooth 7pm
Shorts on the Edge
Sat Dec 9 Ak Exp Small 9pm
**********************************************
Cold Storage* (*Super Short)
Thomas Freundlich
Finland
9 min
This one should appeal to all Alaskans, especially ice fishers, glacial archeologists, and dancers.
"Thomas Freundlich is one of the leading practitioners in Finland’s vibrantly growing independent dance film scene. Mr. Freundlich’s work ranges from dance shorts, documentary work, performance videography and 3D projects to music videos and projection design for the stage. His work has been seen at dozens of film festivals worldwide as well as broadcast TV both in Finland and internationally. From 2012 to 2014, Mr. Freundlich was the co-artistic director of Finland’s Loikka dance film festival."
This story takes place during tryouts for the high school basketball team. It's a very well made film. To add a little moral crunch to all this, the Weinstein Company was involved with this film. Just yesterday (Nov 20), I read an article from the Paris Review, "What Do We Do With The Art Of Monstrous Men?" I suspect that the Weinstein Company, particularly Harvey Weinstein had little to do with the making of this film. But it's something to think about as you watch this gem of a film. I know this film is good because you can watch it online, and I did. Below is a trailer. I'd note, watching it online probably won't take anything from the experience of seeing it on the big screen opening night of the festival. There's lots I'm sure I missed the first time.
**********************************************
Whoever Was Using This Bed
Andrew Kotatko
Australia
20 min
Go to the the film's website. Scroll through the credits and connections of the cast and the director and others. This is NOT a film by new faces showing what they can do in hopes of making it. But the fact that these aren't newcomers to the film industry tells us something about the competitiveness of the world of film-making.
"Iron is a short period drama set in the Pacific NorthWest inspired by the true stories of women railroad workers during the early 1900’s.
Lily Cohen escapes the the crowded tenements of New York to take on a demanding railway job. Determined to work on a steam engine, a position not traditionally held by women, Lilly faces the hostility of her fellow railroad workers while finding her own inner strength.
While America is very familiar with the iconic image of Rosie the Riveter, the women laborers of the First World War are mostly forgotten by history. The American railroad represented freedom and adventure in a time when most women had very little opportunity for either. These opportunities disappeared when the soldiers returned home."
I haven't seen the whole movie, but the trailer . . . judge for yourself. I had it up here for a day or two as I worked on the rest of the films. I decided to take it down because I thought the thumbnail was gross and I didn't see any redeeming features that would make it worth keeping up. I'm not censoring it - you can go watch it here. Remember, the programmers thought it was worth being 'in competition'. I'm waiting to be pleasantly surprised.
**********************************************
The Robbery
Jim Cummings
USA
15 min
Cummings won the best Short Award last year at AIFF with his film "Thunder Road." It also won at Sundance which led to a slew of opportunities which are described in this IndieWire article. The article also includes a full version of of The Robbery. I don't recommend seeing it now if you plan to see it at the festival. I'm not sure how much it offers with additional viewings.
It's about a robbery that goes badly. It's well made. It spoofs our national (global?) cell phone addiction among other things.
###############################################
This second group of shorts in competition all are part of the program "Love and Pain." I've done it this way to help you identify which films are shown together so you can easily find when and where to see them.
If they are in blue, they are together in this program Also, both Shorts and Super Shorts* are together in the same programs, but they are eligible for separate awards. The * marks the Super Shorts. These are films under 10 minutes long.
In this group, all but "Temporary" are Super Shorts.
Love and Pain
Sat Dec, 2 12pm AK Exp Large
Frit Dec 8 AK Exp Small 7pm
**********************************************
8:AM*
Emily Pando
USA
5 min Can't find much on this film, though it was at the festival in August 2016, the Cleveland International Film Festival and the Seattle International Film Festival's Shorts Fest this year if I'm reading the Facebook page right.
**********************************************
Brain Storm* (Remue-Meninges)
Christophe Clin
Belgium
6 min
(Also Showing at Martini Matinee - Friday December 8, 2017 2:00pm - 4:00pm)
Another film that's got few internet footprints. From Augohr:
"What happens in our heads when we are about to meet someone on the street? Anguish, prejudice, expectation, surprise, disappointment … These few very brief moments are the nest of a real brainstorm!"
I had to look much harder to find Christophe's Vimeo page. (His Youtube page was blank. You really don't need a link to a blank Youtube channel.) But it was worth the effort. (Actually, if you only google his name, there's more, mostly in French.)
This is one of the most tantalizing trailers I've seen. It could be a super short all its own.
This is a four minute movie. What do you want? A ten second trailer? Christophe Clin found a way to do a trailer for a six minute movie (above) but . . . And why would you want a description? This is part of a program of other shorts. Just sit back and watch it. I can give you one hint - it's been in some horror movie festivals.
**********************************************
Temporary
Milena Govich USA 12 Min
The first few minutes of this probably tells you what you need to know about this film. It comes from her Kickstarter page and I found the embed code at Vimeo.
I'd also note there are other Shorts programs. Global Village has a series of international shorts.
There are Made In Alaska shorts. And Martini Matinee will play a mix of narrative shorts, short docs, and animation. I'm not totally caught up (and probably will never be) with all these programs but I did want to give you an alert that the narrative shorts and super shorts in competition aren't the only shorts.
"OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION: Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer Bridgman|Packer Dance for Voyeur at the Sheen Center
For groundbreaking use of video in live performance, creating a space where virtual and actual movement merged. For inhabiting Edward Hopper’s imagery and taking the audience on an inventive journey of private spaces and ever-shifting viewpoints."
And what does this have to do with living in Anchorage?
Well, back in 2008, Bridgman Packer were in Anchorage in a very small venue doing the kind of amazing dance performance that won them the award the other night. It's a mix of dancing with their own shadows and with video of themselves dancing live. When I first saw them in 2008 here, I was breathless afterward. What I saw was so amazing. I worried that maybe I was just a hick from Anchorage who was excited over something New Yorkers take for granted.
But as time went by, I realized, that they were the real thing and my reaction was justified. They have gotten a number of awards before, but here it is nine years after people in Anchorage first got to see them close up and personal (you could talk to them and the other artists with them after the performance), New York gives them dance's highest honor.
I'm going to add some video here, but with a BIG warning. You might be able to video other dance performances, but you can't really capture Bridgman Packer on video because live, they already dance with video of themselves dancing. Though this clip comes close. Remember, there are just the two of them. It's hard to tell who is the live performer and who is just the image. And it's NOT a gimmick, it's integral to the messages they are conveying about reality and illusion and truth.
I believe Out North was involved with their first performance here, along with The Alaska Dance Theater. I know for sure Out North was involved with their second trip here.
It's hard to keep up here on the blog. We've done a lot of group work, we've had lunch, and now we have two Yup'ik women - Panigkaq Agatha John Shields and Piiyuuk Olivia Shields talking about their experiences being married to black man and being half Yupik and half black. Stories about maintaining Yu'pik language and culture as well as black culture.
Look at how these amazing Filipino artists - El Gamma Penumbra - use their bodies to convey beauty and an important message. They've taken a traditional form or artistry in SE Asian cultures from Indonesia to Thailand - shadow puppets - and turned it into something entirely new. Plus they had to work incredibly hard to make their artistry so precise.
El Gamma Penumbra was first founded in 2003 as a hip-hop boy group, competing in dance contests in their hometown. Before joining Pilipinas Got Talent,
however, they changed their act thinking that there will be lesser
chance of winning due to too many hip-hop dancers in the Philippines.
Upon deciding to do shadow play, believing it is new and unique, they
started practicing in a basketball court near their hometown using a
tarpaulin and a halogen light as an improvisation.[3]
They decided to produce an all-male group members, meaning females
are not included, due to the "extreme body movements and contact
required of their routines."[4]
When we lived in Beijing for 3 months we watched a lot of CCTV (Chinese Central Television). There's even an Engish channel you can listen to. I didn't see a live feed, but there are lots of programs to watch in English.
So when this one popped up the CCTV was familiar. This particular example of Chinese acrobatics is pretty exceptional though. Amazing. Trust me on this - just hit the play button and watch 20 seconds before you move on.
It shows what humans can do if we really put our minds to something. But I also know that these kids led a pretty rigid life practicing mercilessly to be able to do this. The movie Mao's Last Dancer offers a look at kids being groomed to be ballet dancers. The trailer only shows a bit of that training. The movie itself was very worthwhile watching.
[Headlines should reflect what you write. Mine tend to be prosaic, but I try to remember they matter and to find something catchy from what I'm writing about. So, yes, this question arises, but it's at the end (about 10:50) of the video below.]
The Out North Season Opening Event, as I said in the first post, generated (for me at least) a real excitement with the bringing together of a lot of different art, theater, dance, writing opportunities from a wide array of people and groups in the Anchorage community. Everyone was clearly pleased about their own membership in the 'club' and as the evening went on they got to see all the other neat folks they'd be rubbing elbows with in the hallways of the former Grandview Garden library building, which before that was an electrical station.
I imagine that as the year goes by some of that excitement will be tempered by conflicts over how one group leaves the rehearsal space for the next group; over people unable to keep up with the pace; personal problems that interfere with artistic ambitions; performances that don't live up to the initial concept; and a myriad of other obstacles. But my bet is that people will overcome those problems and fulfill the promise of Thursday night.
And since I had an empty sd card in my camera and a battery that didn't start blinking its imminent demise until the very end, I just kept shooting more video. Maybe when the frustrations of making those dreams actually come true gets too heavy, people can come back to these videos to remember why they're working so hard. And there are a couple of folks in the UK who, I'm sure, like to look in on their grandchildren, so to speak.
So, here's the video Part 3. In it you meet the people from Focus - their connection to Out North is a little different. Their plan is to bring visual arts, theater, poetry, etc. to kids with disabilities and their families. Then one of the co-founders of F Magazine (I didn't catch the name) gives her Anchorage Arts rant. Then Scott's notion of a multi-disciplinary Art House.
Finally, the youth - Brave New Alaskan Voices. Three perform for you - in part - on the video. And you can ponder God's existence with the last performer.
[8pm Discovery Theater tonight (Saturday) tickets here or at the box office.]
Last night we saw Bridgman/Packer perform in Anchorage. We'd seen Under the Skin - their first piece Friday - here three years ago. But I'd forgotten details. It was just as amazing as it was the first time as the dancers perform against an audio/video backdrop that blurs the line between live and recorded, real and unreal, and does other tricks on your expectations of dance, art, and even gravity. This is the Matrix of dance.
Packer, Bridgman, and videographer Bobrow after Friday performance
The second piece, co-commissioned by Anchorage's Out North Theater moves into yet another dimension. [Look, I feel an obligation to write about this, but I also realize that what they do is so radically different, that there is nothing I can say that can capture it adequately. Not just different, but amazing and spectacular]. In Under the Skin, there is a lot of video through which the live dancers dance, starting with the opening scene of letters zipping up. But then previously shot images of the performers dance with the live performers on stage. And then one more layer gets added - live video of the current performance is layered on top of it all until the audience is wondering which are the real dancers and which are the images. Though this time around, the projected images were not as saturated as I remember last time, and so the live Bridgman and Packer did stand out from their paler video images.
Here's some video of Art Bridgman working with the lighting crew Wednesday evening for the Friday performance. Myrna Packer was stretching on stage at the beginning.
But all the technology would just be a gimmick that was neat the first time, but flat once you've seen it, if the ideas behind the choreography and the quality of the dancing weren't first rate. The precision necessary for them to be at exactly the right spot so that you can see the front of their live body superimposed with the back of the projected image of their back is incredible.
And perhaps I'm biased because the theme that jumps out at me is the theme of this blog - how do you know what you know? What is real? What is imagined? How do the real world and the non-real world interact to lead us to think we know reality and truth?
The second piece - Double Expose - pushes to a whole new level. A lot of the background images are very real street scenes and architectural settings through which Bridgman and Packer roam as six different characters - prerecorded, live, and as projections of their live performance.
What does it mean when you see the live Art Bridgman on stage dancing against a black background to the side of the stage while the projected image of him dancing is put in context in the video landscape center stage? He's live on stage, but your eye is drawn to the image which is part of the scenery and where he interacts with a prerecorded, a live, and a live recorded Packer. Or a prerecorded Bridgman. What is more real? What has more meaning? The live man abstractly dancing against the black backdrop? Or the image of that man interacting with other images? And where should I look? I'm paying money to see a live performance, so why is my eye pulled from the live performer to her image? At one point the lights are behind the performers and their shadow giants are also dancing on the walls of the theater in the audience.
What does this say about how the human brain constructs its version of reality?
At one point, their very realistic backgrounds change into fantastically playful fabric patterns, which come to life. [UPDATE 5/1/11: These were done by artist/animator Karen Aqua, who I was told is ill and hasn't seen the performance. Send her good vibes.] The colors and images were a total change from the noir feel of most of the realistic backgrounds. The animation added yet another dimension to the juxtaposition of reality and image of reality. Why are the filmed street scenes more 'real' than the animated tiger walking in the background? After all, the filmed street scenes and arches and tunnels are no less humanly created artifacts than are the animated images.
The live performers dancing on the sides of the stage while their images were stage center in the scene interacting with the images of other characters also reminded me of puppeteers being the live animators of their on stage puppets.
I also pondered about how Bridgman/Packer (I feel that now and then it should be Packer/Bridgman) play with so many different media, yet their performance, ultimately has to be seen live.
As you can see, they've invaded my brain and are rearranging the furniture. We're going back tonight and will sit in a different location to see how that changes all this.
So, yes. While there was a nice sized (and incredibly appreciative) audience last night, you can go to the Discovery Theater and get tickets for tonight's performance. As good as these performers are, they are off the radar. And when Bridgman/Packer is finally a 'household name' it will be much harder to get to see them.
I got to talk with Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer at a gathering tonight at SubZero. And with Scott Schofield, the Out North executive director.
So, Scott has given me a free ticket for one of you readers. Since you all know there is no such thing as a free ticket, here's the deal.
Art Bridgman
Simple contest rules:
First person to email me a copy of your receipt for nine tickets* to Bridgman/Packer gets a tenth ticket free. But you have to buy them after this post is published. Just get nine of your friends (enemies are ok too, but after this they may not be enemies) to pool together to buy tickets as a group, and I can add the tenth ticket if you are the first to email the receipt showing you bought nine tickets after the time of this post. Include a name, email address, and phone number.
Note for whiners and troublemakers (not that any read this blog): One receipt for nine tickets, not several receipts that add up to nine tickets. Let's not make this complicated, though I know that people can think up all sorts of contingencies I haven't thought of. If you do, I reserve the right to determine the fair winner.
(Note: if no one sends in a receipt for nine tickets, I'm guessing Scott might let me give that ticket to the first person to email me a receipt for the biggest block of tickets over five or six. For example, someone sending a receipt for seven tickets at 5pm on Wednesday will beat a person with a receipt for six tickets at 2pm Wednesday. The contest ends when I verify a purchase of nine tickets or about 4 hours before the performance of the largest block purchase below nine. So, if the biggest block is for 8 for Saturday, I'll announce about 3pm on Saturday.)
Think of this as a party with your friends.
And as I was preparing this I found some Bridgman/Packer video. I wasn't going to post video because the best way to go is with no expectations, but watching the video I was reminded why I am so excited about seeing them again and I thought it might spur some folks to get their friends together to see the Friday and/or Saturday performance. I'd recommend Friday, because when you see how amazing they are, you'll still have a chance to see them again on Saturday.
This video is from a piece they did last time they were here.
What's in it for me? First and foremost, I think it would be a waste if the Discovery Theater weren't filled up both nights. The only reason someone shouldn't be trying to buy tickets is that they don't know these performers are in town. And I want Out North to make money off this so they will take similar financial risks in the future to bring great performers to Anchorage.
And there were light tricks coming home along the Chester Creek bike trail.
You should go if you like at least three of the following:
Watching water ripples in a stream.
Magicians doing really amazing tricks.
Shadow leaves dancing on your sunlit white walls. MC Escher.
A cello dancing with a human voice.
Surprises.
Precision.
Optical Illusions.
Hand drumming.
Wait. There is no rippling stream in the show. I'm just trying to give you a sense of this show without giving anything away.
If you took this list literally, maybe you shouldn't go see it. Or, if you can't stand stuff that is NOT:
Linear.
Predictable.
Melodic.
Clear and straightforward.
I didn't want to spoil it by giving more details. What they do is AMAZING!! Going in without knowing anything about them, other than you should go, is the best way to do it.
Out North just keeps selecting stuff they think is good even if it is on the edge or financially iffy.
"This play won the Patrick White Award, one of Australia's major playwriting awards. Good on you for staging it when not one company in Australia bothered to do so! Congrats"
We have this tiny little theater that does cutting edge local productions and also brings the most interesting and challenging Outside artists to Anchorage where you can get intimate with them. The theater is so small all the seats are in what would be the $100 and up section in bigger venues Outside. Not everything works perfectly, but still, you are there with the artists as they push the limits of art. You can talk to them afterward and ask questions and answer their questions.
But this Friday and Saturday, they've got an act that doesn't fit in that tiny space. In fact, last time Bridgman & Packer were here, they performed at the Alaska Dance Theater, where I got to see them and become a fanatic fan.
This year (this Friday and Saturday to be specific) they will be in the Discovery Theater. So there will be room for a lot of folks.
Do you live in or near Anchorage? Then you should be there too. And bring the kids. Unless you are bedridden or out of town, you have no excuse for not going to see Bridgman & Packer. You don't like dance? Trust me, this is way more than dance. This is magic.
Do I sound enthusiastic? Are you suspicious of my motives? Am I getting paid to write this? Actually, after I did a short breathless plug attached to a post on another Out North performance, Scott Schofield, Out North's Executive Director asked me to invite all my friends and offered me a free ticket even. But that would compromise my blogger ethics so I won't take it. But, I'm thinking I should offer that ticket to one of my readers. OK, I'll think about some sort of contest here - and you can give suggestions. I'll check with Scott and see if the offer is still open.
So what are my motives? This is two humans (plus their helpers) showing what incredible things humans can do if they stretch their minds, train their bodies, and break the rules. I just want everyone to know this is happening in town so they don't miss it. I also want Out North to make some money on this so they'll keep doing this sort of thing.
When I first saw Bridgman/Packer I wondered whether I was just an Anchorage hick who just didn't get out much, but it turns out people who know about dance think they are pretty amazing too. Mike Dunham's ADN story lists some of their glowing comments.
So, if you don't trust me or you don't like surprises, check out the ADN story on Bridgman/Packer. When Dunham and I are both equally breathless, you know something has to be special.
